“Being guided isn’t like making a cake, where you mix it up and sit back until it’s baked. It’s more like dancing with a partner. If you’re not following continual subtle motions, you aren’t being led…” – Julie Shaul
April 11, 2014
A real humdinger of a rain/thunderstorm that lasted all night and through the morning resulted in dozens of caterpillary-worms (gusanos) crawling under my door searching for dry land. Outside this morning I watched as they crept over the edge of the tiled patio then swam through puddles on the floor toward the house. After smooshing a few dozen, I went back inside to make coffee and upon hearing footsteps, I turned around to find my neighbor’s bull already head and shoulders through the door looking for shelter too. I got a dirty, disgruntled look after telling him there was no vacancy and shooing him out with a broom (expletives might have been involved). The door will stay closed until further notice. (I couldn’t make this stuff up if I tried.) The upside was that the frogs are exquisitely happy with all the rain and have been singing a beautiful chorus of song since midnight. Plus it makes for good storytelling. And while I do love the occasional ‘indoors day’ which provides downtime for planning, reading, studying or alone time, I am disappointed that the rain will cancel today’s Women’s club and likely tomorrow’s Kids’ Club (rain here in the campo is like a big snow day in Maine where everything closes). The kids have asked me every day for the past five days if we are having Kids’ Club and English class this weekend because they really look forward to it. How can I say no to kids who are so open and eager to learn? That kind of excitement and engagement is what makes my service so fulfilling! When you listen and let life guide you, you can’t go wrong.
Somewhere in Paraguay 